How Schools Should Be Using AI in Content Development
Empowered Enrollment Team
AI isn’t just a buzzword anymore. For many schools, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are no longer futuristic novelties; they’re part of the daily rhythm in school offices, parent communication, marketing processes, and admissions workflows.
And with good reason. AI can help enrollment teams move faster, ideate more freely, and polish communications that connect with your community. But as more schools fold AI into their content development and digital strategy process, a key question remains:
Are you using AI to elevate your work, or just speed it up?
The difference matters. Because the content you publish — whether it’s a blog, email, ad, or meta description — often shapes a family’s first impression of your school. It influences perception, builds trust, and guides decisions. And in that context, AI-generated content that’s “good enough” isn’t good enough.
The Opportunity (and the Challenge)
Time and budget constraints are very real. Many school teams are stretched thin, and AI offers a tempting promise: fast, seemingly on-brand content with minimal effort. That can feel like a lifeline.
Right now, we’re seeing schools use AI to create:
- Website pages, blog posts, and SEO elements auto-generated
- Social media captions and email campaigns drafted in seconds
- Paid ads and keyword strategies built straight from AI platforms
It makes sense why teams are leaning in. But when AI operates without strategic oversight or human refinement, it can quickly veer off course.
Generic messaging. Off-brand tone. Inaccurate or even plagiarized content. These aren’t just annoyances — they’re liabilities.
Why Strategy Still Matters
AI tools are incredibly powerful, but they’re not decision-makers. They don’t understand your brand nuance, your enrollment goals, or your families’ needs. They simply generate what’s most statistically likely to come next. Which is less than ideal when you’re trying to stand out and resonate with right-fit families™.
That’s why relying too heavily on AI often leads to:
- Voice drift: Copy that sounds polished, but not like you
- Audience disconnect: Content that doesn’t speak to the hopes, questions, or motivations of prospective families
- Strategic gaps: Missed opportunities to guide families through the Family Journey™
- Credibility issues: AI can fabricate stats or produce content that too closely resembles other sources
- SEO damage: Misapplied optimization and repetitive language can drag down rankings
Google’s algorithm and savvy parents can spot content that feels overly templated or generic. Without human oversight, AI-generated content can weaken trust instead of building it.
What You Gain with the Human Touch
This isn’t about ditching AI. In fact, we are firm believers that AI should play a role in school marketing by leading with empathy and hospitality.
Used thoughtfully, AI can help draft content outlines, unlock fresh ideas and headline variation, and enhance consistency in messaging across digital channels. All of these things give your team more headspace to focus on your wildly important goals.
- Efficiency: AI gets you started; human insight makes it sing.
- Connection: Human-reviewed content resonates more deeply with families.
- Credibility: You safeguard your reputation by avoiding errors, tone misfires, or plagiarism.
- Performance: Instead of flooding channels with content, you guide families with intention
So, How Should Schools Be Using AI?
AI can absolutely strengthen your content and digital workflows. But it must serve your strategy, not replace it. Here are three guiding principles:
- Use AI to accelerate, not automate
AI works best as a drafting partner, not an autopilot. Let it help you:
• Brainstorm content and campaign ideas
• Generate outlines or short-form copy (like alt text, CTAs, or ad variations)
• Suggest enhancements to existing blogs or landing pages
But remember: the final voice should always be yours. A skilled writer can elevate an AI draft from “passable” to powerful.
- Anchor all content in strategy
Before you generate a single line of copy, ask:
• Who is our Right-Fit Family™?
• What specific question or challenge does this content address?
• Where does this piece fit in the Family Journey™?
• What action do we want this family to take?
If you can answer those questions first, AI can help you bring your message to life.
Need help developing a strategic content map that supports enrollment goals? Talk to our team about building one.
- Prioritize human review (always)
Make it a rule: no AI-generated content goes live without human review. That includes website copy, ad and social campaigns, alt tags, metadata, and page titles.
Reviewing is about more than catching typos. It’s about ensuring your content builds trust, reflects your school’s identity, and is positioned to perform — not just in search rankings, but in reaching the right families at the right time with the right message.
Bonus tip: Take your draft further by adding personal anecdotes and quotes from your community. These details can’t be faked and are often what families remember.
What the Data Says: Human Content Still Wins
There’s growing evidence that human-created content doesn’t just connect better — it performs better.
Marketing expert Neil Patel published findings comparing average traffic for AI-generated blog posts versus human-written posts. The results? On average, human-written blogs receive more than double the traffic of AI-generated ones.
- Human-written blog posts: 150+ visits/post (on average)
- AI-generated blog posts: 68 visits/post (on average)
That’s a gap schools can’t afford to ignore. When your goal is to reach right-fit families with content that resonates and inspires action, quality and connection win every time.
Let’s Talk About the Right Way to Use AI
You don’t need to be an AI expert to use these tools effectively. But you do need a thoughtful plan — and sometimes, a partner who can help you craft one.
At Tassel, we work alongside school teams to build content strategies that harness AI’s strengths without sacrificing voice, clarity, or connection. Curious how to put AI to better use in your marketing efforts? Schedule a call with a Tassel solutions advisor today.
